Abstract
Singapore is a small densely populated tropical island. While there is plentiful rainwater, Singapore is considered a water scarce country due to the limited land area available to catch water, lack of groundwater resources and increasing population (Khoo 2009). Singapore has taken this challenge as an opportunity and has developed a governance and institutional infrastructure to move from water scarcity to water sufficiency by 2061 through forward thinking and comprehensive planning. While once entirely reliant on Malaysia for its water supply, the country has transformed to become an innovator and a model for successful water management. It has been able to deliver one of the best urban water records in the world with access to water and sanitation reaching the entire population in less than fifty years (Tortajada, Joshi, and Biswas 2013).
Drawing on an analysis based on integrated water resource management principles, a range of factors are key to Singapore’s success. This includes integrating water into development planning, building supportive institutional structures with the mandate to control, regulate and learn, adaptability and managing both supply and demand. It has successfully diversified its water supply through expanding and building reservoirs, importing water, desalination and water reuse. This has been combined with managing water demand through pricing, enforced water conservation measures and widespread public campaigning. The focus on a comprehensive, integrated water management approach provides a useful model for other urban areas around the globe to build systems based on their strengths and within their environmental constraints.